Learn Glazing Techniques with Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid and Heavy Body Acrylics
This project is a great way for you to learn three different ways to use Acrylic Glazing Liquid (AGL): to smooth the application of paint, to blend the paint and to create a glaze. Soft synthetic bristle brushes work well for these techniques.
Step 1
Paint the base colors. Use Cobalt Titanate Green and Cobalt Turquoise for the background. Add a very small amount of AGL to these colors to smooth them out. You'll notice how the paint glides more easily and brush strokes are lessened.
CAUTION: If you use too much AGL, you'll make the paint into a transparent glaze.
Next, paint the foreground with Cadmium Red Light blended with a bit of Hansa Yellow Opaque. Use Titanium White to highlight the table edge. The base coat for the pear is Hansa Yellow Opaque. All pigments used for the base coat are quite opaque. You want a generous first layer of paint to seal against absorbency from your substrate. This keeps your paint from drying out too quickly.
Step 2
Use the AGL for blending. Squeeze onto your palette a small pool of AGL and dabs of Cobalt Titanate Green, Cobalt Turquoise and Titanium White. Next to each of the separate colors, squeeze out a little AGL. Now paint a thin layer of Acrylic Glazing Liquid over the entire background. Quickly begin to apply the Heavy Body paint over the wet layer of AGL. Use very small amounts of AGL with each Heavy Body color. Again, you don't want a glaze, you just want to use the AGL to enhance the flow and slow down drying so you can spend time blending colors.
After you've applied the paint over the entire surface of the background, quickly begin the blending process. Use a very soft brush. At first, move your brush over various portions of the entire surface, rapidly blending color. To refine the blending, begin to wipe paint from your brush after one or two strokes, methodically. Do not add water at any time. If the paint feels tacky, use more AGL. If your brush begins to dry, wash it in water immediately, and remember to wipe out all water from the brush before beginning to paint again.
The foreground is a simple mix of Quinacridone Burnt Orange (a transparent pigment) and a bit of Cadmium Yellow. Blend this in the same way. Then blend a small amount of Cobalt Turquoise into the shadow areas of the pear. The body of the pear is a blended mixture of Hansa Yellow Opaque, Titanium White and Quinacridone Burnt Orange.
Step 3
Make a thin transparent glaze. Mix about 20% Hansa Yellow Opaque to approximately 80% AGL on your palette. Now apply that glaze over the entire surface of the background. The foreground glaze is made from Turquoise (Phthalo) and AGL. The final pear glaze is Quinacridone Gold. Glazing gives a luscious, glowing quality that really brings the painting to life.
